The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-18
ILL-LUCK SAVED HIS LIFE.
Tale of Counterpart of the Famous
Robert Macaire.

Philadelphia at that time provided for the
comfort and entertainment of people who
take their music with beer. My attention
was attracted to a man about b years old,
whose appearance was the nearest approach
| to the traditional makeup of Robert
Macaire that | had ever seen off the
stage, not emitting the blacl1ened eye.
He wandered about the garden swing
! ing an old umbrella in a nonchalant way
| for some time, not exactly oblivious to the
! strains of Behrens admirable orchestra, but
in manner betokening safety of every
thing commonplace, yet still evincing
! willingness to endure his surroundings in
default of something more to his taste. |
watched his movements for awhile, and,
finally losing sight of him in the crowd. or
! dered 'nightcap" and arose from my chair
to go home. As did SO l felt a gentle tap
on my shoulder, and a well-modulated voice
! said:
Excuse me. sir. Are you believer in
the doctrine of predestinationF'
The question, the man and the manner
struck me as SO excessively ridiculous that
l laughed outright, but, recovering myself,
| replied: "You mean | suppose, TO ask if |
believe that man who was born to be
hanged can't possibly be drowned"
Something like that, yes | have a
| theory that | wasn't born to be drowned,
but we won't discuss the hanging"
I'VE won't discuss anything" said, 'pm
| going"
"My dear sir.n said the typical Robert
with Chesterfieldian bow accompanied by
wide and graceful sweep Of his umbrella,
that is really too bad. You should by all
means remain and hear my story, story
without a moral 1t isn't ghost story or a
fairy tale, but true account of the only
piece of good luck | ever encountered in my
life, and that came about through my
l,cis,r oil fa,. I,,it
left :"
The fellows evident sincerity impressed
me, and my curiosity to hear his paradox
cal experience grew stronger as gazed into
his imperturbable countenance and re-
pressed a laughw | had been a sort of a
rounder for many years, and considered
myself invulnerable to assaults upon my
credulity, so | invited my companion to he
seated, resumed my place at the table, or
dered some refreshments and told him of my
burning anxiety to be added to the list of
victims. Casting toward me look of in
jured innocence at the suggestion of guile
conveyed by my last remark, he composed
his countenance by inserting portion of it
INTO the beer mug he held in his hand, and
began his story:
II will not bore you with an account of
my early life, "said he, further than to
say that | was born in i'll luck My father,
whose hopes during few months prior to
my nativity had been set upon the pinnacle
| of desire to be parent to q daughter, evi7s
IDENTIFY fancied that | was solely responsible
| for my sex, and could never tolerate me in
! his presence. At the earliest moment that
| attained the age at which | would be re-
| ceived in boarding school | was sent away
| from home and kept away, in school and
| out until was Is years of age, when | re-
| ceived from my father the sum of $500 and
letter informing me that must from that
fty,,n Chi fAt- I oh;
| The first thing / did was to lose the $500,
which feat | accomplished before leaving
| the school | have always thought the
| janitor took it, but have never been uncer-
| tain of the fact that | didn't take it when |
left
my first practical experience in shifting
| for myself was confined to easy stages of
| pedestrianism in search of employment,
which obtained on the third day after my
! departure from the school in a carpenters
| shop. | had worked two hours carrying
lumber to the planning bench, when l fell
through hole in the floor into the cellar
and broke one of my legs. This episode
dulled the keen edge of my desire to learn
| the carpenters trade, and as soon as | was
able to travel | set out in quest of an easier,
or at least safer way of earning living
| With varying success, and always getting
| the worst of it in the long run, turned my
hand to almost everything until the spring
| of 1861, when the war broke out | was at
that time enjoying one of the brief periods
| of fair luck that commonly succeeded
| the violent and protracted paroxysms
| of ill fortune to which | was sub
| ject, ssand in requital of my services in
! assisting to raise volunteer company in re
! Spouse to President Lincoln's call for Is, 600
| men was commissioned a first lieutenant
| then believed my star was i'll the ascend
| ant, but there was in store for me- as [
| v Inc had
before experienced. On the evening before
the day fixed for our departure from the
Ohio town, in which | was then living, |
| called TO say farewell to the only girl had
ever been able to induce to tolerate my at
tentions, and who had promised to marry
me. Fancy my feelings when | was in
| formed by her brother, who met me at the
door, that she had married Teller from
Mansfield that morning and was at that mo-
| ment on her way to her new home | rushed
away from the house with full determine
ton TO die on the battlefield but my per-
verse luck interfered to prevent even that
one of my desires from arriving at consum-
nation.
"On the following morning my company
started for Columbus TO join the regiment
to which it was attached, and for awhile
| war-like enthusiasm took the place of dis
appointment and chagrin within my breast:
but the unfaithfulneSs of my sweetheart
| was Oh TOO recent occurrence TO enable me
TO Danish the pangs which seized me, and
my arrival at Columbus was signalized by
an unprecedented draft upon the alcoholic
resources of the town, resulting in my So
journ in the guard-house and the loss of my
shoulder straps. | continued with the regi-
ment as private, however, having nothing
else TO do, and being still strong in my de
sire to die n soldiers death, until the expira-
ton of my three months term of enlist
ment, when | re-enlisted for three years,
and served after a subsequent enrolment,
each time in different command, until the
close of the war, without receiving
scratch.
I'm 1865 l was discharged at Jackson,
Miss, and obtained employment in that
town, which, at that time it appeared TO me
the Almighty had overlooked in the distri-
button of His bounty, and remained there
three months in the combined capacity of
salesman, porter and principal and Junior
assistant in the only clothing store ia the
place. There | was rejoined by my hered-
itary luck Il wasn't born girl you'll re-
member, and for the heinous offenSe of
charging only $65 for Sl4 suit of clothes
/ was summarily elected from the clothing
business just rs | was beginning to believe
that | had at last placed my feet firmly
| upon the ladder Of success.
Remaining In Jackson only long enough
to pack my limited wardrobe in an old
fashioned carpet bag, | took train on the